The Akuma Event
The Akuma Event is an international event that took place twenty-three years before the events of Lucifer Alpha. It resulted in the loss of countless nations and the lives of nearly five billion people. The First Days (L’événement de Paris) The Akuma first appeared in late spring 2003 in France. Various videos from French news publications surfaced, showing unidentified persons lurking about through cities such as Paris, Nantes and eventually Marseille. At first, many thought it was nothing more than a publicity stunt. As murders became linked to the mysterious persons, many began to think it was a cult or completely coincidental. In early June of 2003, reports of the mysterious persons seen lurking around residential and commercial areas at night had peaked. Shortly after, in Paris, the bodies of 153 people were found mutilated and strung in various parts of the Eiffel Tower. The French government declared it an act of terrorism. The city of Paris was briefly put on lockdown, and the French counter-terrorism force GIGN sent 250 operatives to monitor and investigate the French capital. The lockdown was changed to mass evacuation after all 250 GIGN operatives were slaughtered and found multilated near the Eiffel Tower roughly two hours after arrival. American intervention In mid-June, 2003, the United Nations called for American intervention in what became known as the Paris Event (French L’événement de Paris). The US President agreed, and sent roughly 1000 soldiers and several dozens of heavily-armed vehicles. Within hours of US forces arriving just outside of Paris and entering the city, it was discovered that the so-called terrorists weren’t human. Orders were given to fire on-sight due to the inhuman stature of the unidentified persons (nicknamed “Shoppers”), whilst also evacuating civilians from Paris. American soldiers suffered minimal casualties and collateral damage, managing to rescue 98% of the remaining Parisian population. Around fifteen Shoppers were spotted and killed, and four to six were somehow captured by US special forces. Operation: Einkaufszentrum The unknown number of captive Shoppers were loaded into a reinforced trailer and placed under extreme security. A German research centre offered the Americans a place to hold the Shoppers, with the intent of researching them. Near Braunschweig or Wolfsburg (the exact location was never released), at least four Shoppers managed to escape the trailer. At least one was killed, but the American convoy and German civilians suffered an unfortunate amount of casualties. The German state of Niedersachsen was put on lockdown. A large number of Bundeswehr and several Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) forces were sent by the Bundeswehr to assist the remaining Americans in attempting to find the Shoppers (German die Shopper) in a joint operation, Einkaufszentrum (English shopping centre). Die Shoppersjagd (English The Shopper(s) Chase/Hunt) lasted for several months, going into late fall and early winter. The Winter Chase (Зимняя Погоня) Multiple sightings of the Shoppers (Russian Покупатели pokupateli) in northwestern Russia caught the attention of those partaking in Die Shoppersjagd. The United States requested and was allowed access into the Russian Federation. However, they were limited to the southwestern portion of Russia as they were woefully unprepared for the harsh Russian winter. Mass Shopper sightings in Germany and other parts of Eastern Europe kept the KSK and American forces focused on maintaining that outbreak. The Shoppers couldn’t last in the Russian winter, however, and they were found to be easy pickings for the Russian Army. The Shoppers were pushed back to Eastern Europe. There, the Russians, with minor support from the Baltic states, created the Dmitri Line (Russian Линия Дмитрий Liniya Dmitriy).